Editing Alexanderplatz (section)

=== Between Empire and the Nazi era (1900–1940) ===
[[File:Berlin Alexanderplatz 1903.JPG|thumb|Alexanderplatz, 1903]]
[[File:Postcard Berlin Alexanderplatz aerial view (50268492586).jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Alexanderplatz with ''Georgenkirche'', in the background you can see the ''Marienviertel'', the ''Heilige-Geist-Viertel'', the [[Berlin Palace]] and the [[Berlin Cathedral]], ca. 1930]]
At the beginning of the 20th century, {{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}} experienced its heyday. In 1901, {{lang|de|[[Ernst von Wolzogen]]|italic=no}} founded the first German cabaret, the {{lang|de|[[Überbrettl]]|italic=no}}, in the former {{lang|de|Sezessionsbühne}} ('Secession stage') at {{lang|de|Alexanderstraße 40|italic=no}}, initially under the name {{lang|de|Bunte Brettl|italic=no}}. It was announced as "{{lang|de|Kabarett}} as upscale entertainment with artistic ambitions. Emperor-loyal and market-oriented stands the uncritical amusement in the foreground."

The merchants {{lang|de|[[Hermann Tietz]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|de|[[Georg Wertheim]]|italic=no}} and {{lang|de|Hahn|italic=no}} opened large department stores on {{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}}: {{lang|de|Tietz|italic=no}} (1904–1911), {{lang|de|Wertheim|italic=no}} (1910–1911) and {{lang|de|Hahn|italic=no}} (1911). {{lang|de|Tietz|italic=no}} marketed itself as a department store for the Berlin people, whereas {{lang|de|[[Wertheim (company)|Wertheim]]|italic=no}} modelled itself as a [[department store]] for the world.

In October 1905, the first section of the {{lang|de|Tietz|italic=no}} department store opened to the public. It was designed by architects [[Cremer and Wolffenstein|{{lang|de|Wilhelm Albert Cremer|italic=no|nocat=y}} and {{lang|de|Richard Wolffenstein|italic=no|nocat=y}}]], who had already won second prize in the competition for the construction of the {{lang|de|Reichstag|italic=no}} building. The {{lang|de|Tietz|italic=no}} department store underwent further construction phases and, in 1911, had a commercial space of {{convert|7300|m2}} and the longest department store façade in the world at {{convert|250|m}} in length.<ref name="1942- 2006">{{Cite book|title=Der Berliner Alexanderplatz|last=Jochheim|first=Gernot|date=2006|isbn=9783861533917|location=CH. Links Verlag (Sachbuch)|oclc=984942416}}</ref>

For the construction of the {{lang|de|Wertheim|italic=no}} department store, by architects {{ill|Heinrich Joseph Kayser|de}} and {{lang|de|[[Karl von Großheim]]|italic=no}}, the {{lang|de|Königskolonnaden}} were removed in 1910 and now stand in the {{lang|de|Heinrich von Kleist|italic=no}} Park in {{lang|de|Schöneberg|italic=no}}.

In October 1908, the {{lang|de|[[Haus des Lehrers]]}} ('the teacher's house') was opened next to the {{lang|de|Bunte Brettl|italic=no}} at {{lang|de|Alexanderstraße 41|italic=no}}. It was designed by {{lang|de|Hans Toebelmann|italic=no}} and Henry Gross. The building belonged to the {{lang|de|Berliner Lehrererverein}} ('teachers’ association'), who rented space on the ground floor of the building out to a pastry shop and restaurant to raise funds for the association. The building housed the teachers' library which survived two world wars, and today is integrated into the library for educational historical research.<ref name="1942- 2006"/> The rear of the property contained the association's administrative building, a hotel for members and an exhibition hall. Notable events that took place in the hall include the funeral services for {{lang|de|[[Karl Liebknecht]]|italic=no}} and {{lang|de|[[Rosa Luxemburg]]|italic=no}} on 2 February 1919 and, on 4 December 1920, the {{lang|de|Vereinigungsparteitag}} (Unification Party Congress) of the [[Communist party|Communist Party]] and the [[USPD]].

The First Ordinary Congress of the [[Communist Workers' Party of Germany]] was held in the nearby {{lang|de|Zum Prälaten}} restaurant, 1–4 August 1920.

{{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}}'s position as a main transport and traffic hub continued to fuel its development. In addition to the three {{lang|de|U-Bahn}} underground lines, long-distance trains and {{lang|de|S-Bahn|italic=no}} trains ran along the {{lang|de|Platz|italic=no}}'s viaduct arches. Omnibuses, horse-drawn from 1877 and, after 1898, also electric-powered trams,<ref>Hans-Joachim Pohl: Chronik des Straßenbahnverkehrs auf dem Alexanderplatz. In: Verkehrsgeschichtliche Blätter. Heft 1, 1999, S. 17–18<br /></ref> ran out of {{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}} in all directions in a star shape. The subway station was designed by [[Alfred Grenander]] and followed the colour-coded order of subway stations, which began with green at {{lang|de|Leipziger Platz|italic=no}} and ran through to dark red.

In the [[Golden Twenties]], {{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}} was the epitome of the lively, pulsating cosmopolitan city of Berlin, rivalled in the city only by {{lang|de|[[Potsdamer Platz]]|italic=no}}. Many of the buildings and rail bridges surrounding the platz bore large billboards that illuminated the night. The Berlin cigarette company Manoli had a famous billboard at the time which contained a ring of neon tubes that constantly circled a black ball. The proverbial "{{lang|de|Berliner Tempo}}" of those years was characterized as "{{lang|de|total manoli|italic=no}}". Writer {{lang|de|[[Kurt Tucholsky]]|italic=no}} wrote a poem referencing the advert, and the composer [[Rudolf Nelson]] made the legendary {{lang|de|Revue Total manoli|italic=no}} with the dancer [[Lucie Berber]]. The writer {{lang|de|[[Alfred Döblin]]|italic=no}} named his novel, {{lang|de|[[Berlin Alexanderplatz]]}}, after the square, and {{lang|de|[[Walter Ruttmann]]|italic=no}} filmed parts of his 1927 film {{lang|de|Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt}} (''Berlin: The Symphony of the Big City'') at {{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}}.